8-16 Earth wobbled and lurched;
    the very heavens shook like leaves,
Quaked like aspen leaves
    because of his rage.
His nostrils flared, billowing smoke;
    his mouth spit fire.
Tongues of fire darted in and out;
    he lowered the sky.
He stepped down;
    under his feet an abyss opened up.
He rode a winged creature,
    swift on wind-wings.
He wrapped himself
    in a trenchcoat of black rain-cloud darkness.
But his cloud-brightness burst through,
    a grand comet of fireworks.
Then God thundered out of heaven;
    the High God gave a great shout.
God shot his arrows—pandemonium!
    He hurled his lightnings—a rout!
The secret sources of ocean were exposed,
    the hidden depths of earth lay uncovered
The moment God roared in protest,
    let loose his hurricane anger.

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10 He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds(A) were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim(B) and flew;
    he soared[a] on the wings of the wind.(C)
12 He made darkness(D) his canopy around him—
    the dark[b] rain clouds of the sky.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
  2. 2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed